Method of Customizing an Article Using a Graphic Transfer Assembly

ABSTRACT

A method of customizing an article with graphics applied using a graphic transfer assembly is disclosed. The method includes a step of creating or selecting a customized graphic to be applied to an article. The article and the customized graphic are placed within the graphic transfer assembly. A deformable membrane may apply the customized graphic to curved portions of the article.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/039,074, entitled “Protective Member For Graphic Transfer Process”,filed on Sep. 27, 2013, which application is a division of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/413,995, entitled “Protective Member For GraphicTransfer Process”, filed on Mar. 7, 2012 and issued as U.S. Pat. No.8,574,387 on Nov. 5, 2013, which application is a continuation of U.S.Pat. No. 8,162,022, currently U.S. application Ser. No. 12/245,402,entitled “Method Of Customizing An Article And Apparatus”, filed on Oct.3, 2008, the disclosures of which applications are hereby incorporatedby reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present embodiments relate to a method of making articles, and inparticular to a method of applying graphics to an article.

Methods of customizing an article of footwear have been previouslyproposed. Abrams et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 7,166,249) is directed to anin-mold decorating process. Abrams teaches a method of applying a sheetwith a printed graphic to a mold in order to create a molded productthat includes the printed graphic. Abrams teaches a method that allowsfor the in-mold decoration of deep dimensional and three dimensionalmolded parts.

Abrams teaches an embodiment for applying an image to a molded duckdecoy. First, left and right photographic images of the duck areproduced using distortion printing to compress the image in designatedareas. The sheet is then coated using screen printing techniques. Theprinted and coated sheet is then vacuum formed to the dimensions of aduck decoy causing the distortion printed areas to assume normal colorand proportion. The vacuum formed printed sheet is cut into left andright view pieces which are then placed in the appropriate cavities of ablow mold and molded with polyethylene. When the mold is opened twohalves of a duck decoy having a photographic quality image are removedand mated to form a finished decoy.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a kit of parts includes a protective member configured tocover a portion of an article. The kit of parts also includes a graphictransfer assembly. The graphic transfer assembly further includes a baseportion configured to support the graphic transfer assembly, a firstmoveable portion including a first deformable membrane and a secondmoveable portion including a second deformable membrane. The graphictransfer assembly also includes a last assembly configured to attach alast to the base portion and an actuator configured to control the firstmoveable portion and the second moveable portion. The first deformablemembrane and the second deformable membrane are configured to conform toa curved portion of the article and transfer a graphic to the curvedportion.

In another aspect, a method of applying a graphic to an article includesassociating the graphic with a curved surface on a first portion of thearticle and applying a protective member to a second portion of thearticle, where the protective member is configured to cover at least aportion of the second portion of the article. The method also includespressing a deformable membrane against one or more portions of thearticle so that the deformable membrane conforms to the curved surface,heating the deformable membrane and transferring the graphic to thecurved surface.

In another aspect, a method of applying a graphic to an article includesplacing the article on a last assembly of a graphic transfer assemblyand associating a graphic with a first portion of the article. Themethod also includes placing a protective member over a second portionof the article, pressing a first deformable membrane and a seconddeformable membrane of the graphic transfer assembly against the articleand the protective member and applying the graphic to the first portionof the article.

Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the embodiments willbe, or will become apparent to one with skill in the art uponexamination of the following figures and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, features andadvantages be included within this description, be within the scope ofthe embodiments, and be protected by the following claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments may be better understood with reference to the followingdrawings and description. The components in the figures are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustratingthe principles of the embodiments. Moreover, in the figures, likereference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout thedifferent views.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an embodiment of an article;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of an embodiment of an article with anassociated graphic;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of an embodiment of an article with anassociated graphic;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of an embodiment of an article with anassociated graphic;

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of an embodiment of an article with anassociated graphic;

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of an embodiment of an article associatedwith a last attached to a graphic transfer assembly;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of an embodiment of an article disposed on agraphic transfer assembly with deformable membranes configured to pressagainst portions of the article;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of an embodiment of an article disposed on agraphic transfer assembly with deformable membranes enclosing curvedportions of the article;

FIG. 9 is a side view of an embodiment of an article disposed betweendeformable membranes enclosing curved portions of the article;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of an embodiment of an article disposed on agraphic transfer assembly with deformable membranes conforming to curvedportions of the article;

FIG. 11 is a side view of an embodiment of an article disposed betweendeformable membranes conforming to curved portions of the article;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of an embodiment of deformable membranes ofa graphic transfer assembly moving away from an article;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of an embodiment of an article with agraphic applied to a curved portion of the article;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of an embodiment of an article associatedwith a last and disposed on a graphic transfer assembly;

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of an embodiment of deformable membranes ofa graphic transfer assembly enclosing an article;

FIG. 16 is a side view of an embodiment of deformable membranes of agraphic transfer assembly conforming to curved portions of an article;

FIG. 17 is an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a graphictransfer assembly;

FIG. 18 is an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a graphictransfer assembly;

FIG. 19 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a set of articles thatmay be associated with a set of lasts and attached to a last assembly ofa graphic transfer assembly;

FIG. 20 is an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of a graphictransfer assembly that may apply a graphic to a curved portion of anarticle;

FIG. 21 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a graphic transferassembly applying a graphic to an article;

FIG. 22 is a cross sectional view of an embodiment of a graphic transferassembly applying a graphic to a curved portion of an article;

FIG. 23 is a cross sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of agraphic transfer assembly configured to apply two graphics to two curvedportions of an article;

FIG. 24 is a cross sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of agraphic transfer assembly applying two graphics to two curved portionsof an article;

FIG. 25 is an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of a graphictransfer assembly configured to deter attachment of a graphic to adeformable membrane;

FIG. 26 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a graphic transferassembly applying a graphic to a curved portion of an article;

FIG. 27 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a graphic transferassembly following the application of a graphic to an article;

FIG. 28 is a cross sectional view of an embodiment of a graphic transferassembly configured to apply two graphics to two curved portions of anarticle;

FIG. 29 is a cross sectional view of an embodiment of a graphic transferassembly applying two graphics to two curved portions of an article;

FIG. 30 is an isometric exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of anarticle of footwear and a protective member;

FIG. 31 is an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of an article offootwear and a protective member;

FIG. 32 is an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a graphictransfer assembly;

FIG. 33 is an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a graphictransfer assembly;

FIG. 34 is an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a graphictransfer assembly; and

FIG. 35 is a cross sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of agraphic transfer assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic views of an embodiment of article 100 thatis configured to be worn. In this exemplary embodiment, article 100 isan article of footwear. However, it should be understood that theprinciples taught throughout this detailed description may be applied toadditional articles as well. Generally, these principles could beapplied to any article that may be worn. In some embodiments, thearticle may include one or more articulated portions that are configuredto move. In other cases, the article may be configured to conform toportions of a wearer in a three-dimensional manner. Examples of articlesthat are configured to be worn include, but are not limited to:footwear, gloves, shirts, pants, socks, scarves, hats, jackets, as wellas other articles. Other examples of articles include, but are notlimited to: shin guards, knee pads, elbow pads, shoulder pads, as wellas any other type of protective equipment. Additionally, in someembodiments, the article could be another type of article that is notconfigured to be worn, including, but not limited to: balls, bags,purses, backpacks, as well as other articles that may not be worn.

In one exemplary embodiment, article 100 may be a high top shoe.However, in other embodiments, article 100 could be any type offootwear, including, but not limited to: a running shoe, a basketballshoe, a high heel shoe, a boot, a slip-on shoe, a low top shoe, as wellas other types of footwear. Additionally, while a single article offootwear is shown in the current embodiment, the same principles taughtin this detailed description could be applied to a second, complementaryarticle of footwear.

In different embodiments, article 100 may comprise different portions.In this embodiment, article 100 includes upper 102. Generally, upper 102may be any type of upper. In particular, upper 102 may comprise an upperwith any design, shape, size and/or color. For example, in embodimentswhere article 102 is a basketball shoe, article 102 could comprise ahigh top upper that is shaped to provide high support on an ankle. Inembodiments where article 102 is a running shoe, article 102 couldcomprise a low top upper that is shaped to provide flexibility duringrunning.

Article 100 is configured to receive a foot of a wearer. In someembodiments, article 100 includes throat 103 configured to receive afoot of a wearer. Typically, throat 103 allows a foot to be insertedinto an interior portion of article 100.

Article 100 may include lateral portion 106. Also, article 100 mayinclude medial portion 107 disposed opposite lateral portion 106.Furthermore, lateral portion 106 may be associated with an outside of afoot. Similarly, medial portion 107 may be associated with an inside ofa foot.

In some embodiments, article 100 could further be associated with a solesystem. In some cases, a sole system for article 100 could include anoutsole. In other cases, the sole system could include a midsole. Instill other cases, the sole system could include an insole. In anexemplary embodiment, article 100 may include sole system 105. Solesystem 105 may include a midsole and an outsole.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, one or more graphics may be applied toportions of article 100. The term “graphic” as used throughout thisdetailed description and in the claims, applies to any image, picture,text or indicia. In some cases, a graphic may be used for decorativepurposes. In other cases, a graphic may be used for displaying varioustypes of information. In still other cases, a graphic may include theapplication of a color to a portion or a substantial entirety of anarticle. In some cases, a single solid color could be applied to aportion or a substantial entirety of an article. In other cases,multiple colors could be applied in various manners to a portion or asubstantial entirety of an article. Furthermore, in still other cases, agraphic could include a combination of images, colors and other types ofdesigns. For example, in this embodiment, graphic 109 may be associatedwith article 100.

Generally, a graphic may be configured with any size and shape,including, but not limited to: square shapes, rectangular shapes,elliptical shapes, triangular shapes, regular shapes, irregular shapesas well as other types of shapes. In some cases, a graphic may be threedimensional. In other cases, a graphic may be substantially twodimensional. In one embodiment, graphic 109 is configured with agenerally rectangular shape. In addition, graphic 109 is substantiallytwo dimensional. In other words, graphic 109 is relatively flat.Furthermore, in an exemplary embodiment, graphic 109 may be used toindicate a team number of an athlete wearing article 100. For example,in one embodiment, graphic 109 may include the number “18”.

In different embodiments, a graphic may be applied using variousmethods. In one embodiment, a graphic may be printed onto a film that iscompatible with an upper material. In particular, the graphic may beprinted onto the film in reverse so that the graphic ink contacts theupper material. With this arrangement, the ink is protected by the film.In some cases, the film may be a film that is compatible with apolyurethane (PU) coating on an upper. In other embodiments, however,other methods for applying a graphic to an article may be used.

In different embodiments, one or more graphics may be applied todifferent portions of article 100. For example, in this embodiment,graphic 109 may be applied to lateral portion 106 of article 100. Insome cases, additional graphics may be applied to other portions ofarticle 100.

In some embodiments, a graphic may be applied to a curved portion of anarticle. For example, an article of footwear may comprise curvedportions including, but not limited to: toe portions, heel portions,lacing portions, and sides of an article of footwear. In otherembodiments, a graphic may be applied to a substantially flat portion ofan article.

In one embodiment, article 100 is substantially complete with portionsof upper 102 and sole system 105 assembled to form article 100. Witharticle 100 substantially assembled, lateral portion 106 comprises acurved portion of article 100. In particular, lateral portion 106 may becurved to conform to a portion of a foot that may be inserted withinarticle 100.

In some embodiments, a graphic may be associated with a portion of anarticle prior to applying the graphic to the article. In some cases, agraphic may be temporarily attached to an article to associate thegraphic with the article. In different embodiments, the temporaryattachment of a graphic to an article may be accomplished in variousmanners, including, but not limited to: tape, adhesive and other mannersknown in the art. In one embodiment, a temporary tape with low adhesionis used to temporarily attach a graphic to an article. For example, insome cases, a frisket-type adhesive may be used. In one embodiment, amylar tape can be used.

Referring to FIG. 1, graphic 109 may be associated with lateral portion106 to indicate the position that graphic 109 may be applied to lateralportion 106. In this embodiment, lateral portion 106 may be a curvedportion of article 100. In other embodiments, however, lateral portion106 could be a substantially flat portion of article 100. In anexemplary embodiment, graphic 109 maybe temporarily attached with tape111 prior to the application of graphic 109 to article 100, asillustrated in FIG. 2. After associating graphic 109 with article 100, agraphic transfer assembly may be used to apply graphic 109 to article100.

In some embodiments, graphics may be applied to a large portion of anarticle. In some cases, a graphic may be used to apply color to aportion or an entirety of an article of footwear. In addition, a graphiccan be used to apply a design to a portion or entirety of an article offootwear. In other words, the use of a graphic is not limited to alocalized region of an article.

FIGS. 3-5 illustrate different embodiments of graphics that may beapplied to an article of footwear. Referring to FIG. 3, graphic 109 andcoloring graphic 111 are applied to article of footwear 100. In somecases, coloring graphic 111 may be applied to lateral portion 106 ofarticle 100 to provide color to the substantial entirety of lateralportion 106. In addition, graphic 109 can be applied directly tocoloring graphic 111. In other words, in some cases, multiple graphicscan be combined together to form a customized design for an article.

In different embodiments, coloring graphic 111 can be any materialconfigured to cover a substantial majority of article of footwear 100.In some cases, for example, a coloring graphic can be a colored film. Inother cases, a coloring graphic can be a thin coating of ink or dye thatmay be applied in another manner. In one embodiment, coloring graphic111 may be a colored film that can be joined with lateral portion 106 toprovide an overall change in color for upper 102.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, graphic 110 comprises two distinct filmportions. In particular, graphic 110 includes first film portion 151 andsecond film portion 152. In particular, first film portion 151 andsecond film portion 152 may be films with various inks or other dyesarranged as coloring for the article. In some cases, a film can alsoinclude inks and/or dyes arranged as a graphic or design. In thisembodiment, first film portion 151 includes graphical number 155. Inaddition, first film portion 151 includes graphical design portion 157that comprises a plurality of rings. In other cases, first film portion151 could include any other combination of shapes, numbers, letters, orother types of images. In some cases, second film portion 152 can alsoinclude similar graphics and/or designs. With this arrangement,coloring, as well as distinct designs and patterns can be applied toarticle of footwear 100 using graphic 110.

In some cases, a customized graphic could be applied to an article. Theterm “customized graphic” refers to any graphic selected or created by acustomer for application to one or more articles. In some cases, acustomer may be provided with provisions for creating or selecting acustomized graphic using a website associated with a manufacturer. Inother cases, a customer can travel to a retail store or a kiosk toengage in a process of selecting or creating a customized graphic. Instill other cases, a customer could submit a customized graphic to amanufacturer via mail or email. Examples of a customization process forcreating and or selecting customized graphics that can be applied to anarticle can be found in U.S. Ser. No. 11/612,320, filed on Dec. 18,2006, and hereby incorporated by reference. This case is hereby referredto as the “digital printing case”.

FIGS. 6-15 are intended to illustrate an embodiment of a method ofapplying a graphic to an article with a graphic transfer assembly. Forpurposes of illustration, FIGS. 6-15 illustrate an embodiment of amethod of applying graphic 110 to lateral portion 106 of article 100.However, it should be understood that this method could also be used toapply a graphic to any other portion of an article. For example, inembodiments where the article is an article of footwear, this methodcould be used to apply a graphic to another portion of an upper, a sole,as well as any other portions of the article. Furthermore, this methodcould be used to apply a graphic to individual portions of an articlethat could later be assembled together to form a completed article.

In some embodiments, an article may be associated with a last prior tothe application of a graphic to the article. Referring to FIG. 6, last301 may be inserted within article 100. With last 301 inserted withinarticle 100, article 100 may be configured with a shape substantiallysimilar to the shape that article 100 may assume during use of article100. In order to apply graphic 110 to article 100, last 301 may beassociated with graphic transfer assembly 350. Details of the attachmentof last 301 to graphic transfer assembly 350 will be discussed in detaillater in this detailed description.

A graphic transfer assembly may include provisions for applying agraphic to a curved portion of an article so that the graphic conformsto the curved portion. In other words, the graphic transfer assembly maybe configured to apply the graphic to the curved portion of the articlewithout wrinkles or bends in the curved portion of the article or thegraphic. This may be accomplished by pressing the graphic into thevarious contours of the curved portion. In some cases, a graphictransfer assembly may include a deformable membrane that may be pressedagainst a curved portion of an article so that the deformable membraneconforms to the curved portion of the article.

In order to conform to a curved portion of an article, a deformablemembrane may be constructed from a substantially flexible material.Examples of flexible material include, but are not limited to: naturalrubber, synthetic rubber, silicone, other elastomers such as siliconerubber, as well as other materials known in the art. In one embodiment,a deformable membrane may comprise a fabric material.

In some embodiments, a graphic transfer assembly may include more thanone deformable membrane. In an exemplary embodiment, graphic transferassembly 350 includes two deformable membranes. In particular, graphictransfer assembly 350 includes first deformable membrane 351 and seconddeformable membrane 352.

Generally, a deformable membrane may be configured with any size andshape. Examples of shapes include, but are not limited to: squareshapes, rectangular shapes, elliptical shapes, triangular shapes,regular shapes, irregular shapes as well as other types of shapes. Insome embodiments, a deformable membrane may be configured with a sizeand shape to cover a substantial entirety of a portion of an article.For example, a deformable membrane may be configured with a size andshape to cover a medial portion of an article. In one embodiment, firstdeformable membrane 351 and second deformable membrane 352 may beconfigured with an oval shape.

In some cases, first deformable membrane 351 may be associated withmedial portion 107 of article 100, as illustrated in FIG. 7. Similarly,second deformable membrane 352 may be associated with lateral portion106 of article 100. In other cases, first deformable membrane 351 andsecond deformable membrane 352 may be associated with other portions ofarticle 100. For example, first deformable membrane 351 may beassociated with a toe portion of article 100. Likewise, seconddeformable membrane 352 may be associated with a heel portion of article100.

In some embodiments, a graphic transfer assembly may include provisionsto press a deformable membrane against a portion of an article. In somecases, a graphic transfer assembly may move an article against adeformable membrane. In other words, a deformable membrane may be fixedin a stationary position while an article is pressed into the deformablemembrane. In other cases, a graphic transfer assembly may move adeformable membrane against an article. In other words, an article maybe fixed in a stationary position while a deformable membrane is pressedagainst the article. In an exemplary embodiment, a graphic transferassembly may include moveable portions to move deformable membranesagainst portions of an article.

Referring to FIG. 7, graphic transfer assembly 350 includes firstmoveable portion 361 and second moveable portion 362. First moveableportion 361 may be associated with first deformable membrane 351.Likewise, second moveable portion 362 may be associated with seconddeformable membrane 352.

Generally, first moveable portion 361 and second moveable portion 362may be configured with any shape and size, including, but not limitedto: square shapes, rectangular shapes, elliptical shapes, triangularshapes, regular shapes, irregular shapes as well as other types ofshapes. In one embodiment, first moveable portion 361 and secondmoveable portion 362 may be configured with an oval shape.

In one embodiment, first moveable portion 361 may comprise first outerframe 371, as illustrated in FIG. 7. In some cases, first outer frame371 of first moveable portion 361 may be disposed around a periphery offirst deformable membrane 351. In particular, first deformable membrane351 may be attached to first moveable portion 361 at first outer frame371.

In a similar manner, second moveable portion 362 may include secondouter frame 372. Second outer frame 372 may be disposed around aperiphery of second deformable membrane 352. In particular, seconddeformable membrane 352 may be attached to second moveable portion 362at second outer frame 372.

First moveable portion 361 and second moveable portion 362 may also beattached to other portions of graphic transfer assembly 350. In oneembodiment, first outer frame 371 of first moveable portion 361 andsecond outer frame 372 of second moveable portion 362 may be attached tobase portion 310 of graphic transfer assembly 350. With thisarrangement, base portion 310 may provide support for first moveableportion 361 and second moveable portion 362.

In some embodiments, first outer frame 371 and second outer frame 372may include provisions for joining first moveable portion 361 and secondmoveable portion 362 together. In some cases, first outer frame 371 andsecond outer frame 372 may include seals to join first moveable portion361 and second moveable portion 362. Referring to FIG. 6, first outerframe 371 includes seal 381. For example, in one embodiment, seal 381may be a gasket seal. In some cases, second outer frame 372 may includea corresponding seal. In other cases, only seal 381 may be used. Withthis arrangement, first moveable portion 361 may be joined with secondmoveable portion 362 in a substantially air tight manner.

In some embodiments, graphic transfer assembly 350 may be associatedwith an actuator that is configured to control first moveable portion361 and second moveable portion 362. In one embodiment, graphic transferassembly 350 includes actuator 320. Generally, actuator 320 may beconfigured in various manners known in the art to control first moveableportion 361 and second moveable portion 362. In an exemplary embodiment,actuator 320 may be configured with first lateral portion 321 to controlfirst moveable portion 361. Also, actuator 320 may include secondlateral portion 322 to control second moveable portion 362.

In some cases, first lateral portion 321 may be attached to first outerframe 371 of first moveable portion 361. In particular, first endportion 331 of first lateral portion 321 may be attached to first outerframe 371. Likewise, second end portion 332 of first lateral portion 321may be attached to central portion 323 of actuator 320. In a similarmanner, second lateral portion 322 may be attached to second outer frame372 of second moveable portion 362. In particular, first end portion 333of second lateral portion 322 may be attached to second outer frame 372.In addition, second end portion 334 of second lateral portion 322 may beattached to central portion 323 of actuator 320.

With first outer frame 371 and second outer frame 372 attached to firstlateral portion 321 and second lateral portion 322, respectively, aswell as to base portion 310, actuator 320 may be configured to movefirst moveable portion 361 and second moveable portion 362 in a mannersubstantially similar to a clam shell closing. In one embodiment,actuator 320 may depress central portion 323 to pull second end portionof 332 of first lateral portion 321 and second end portion 334 of secondlateral portion 322 in a downward direction. As second end portion 332and second end portion 334 are pulled downward, first end portion 331and first end portion 333 may be pulled upward and inward. Thisarrangement pulls first moveable portion 361 and second moveable portion362 inward. With this arrangement, first moveable portion 361 and secondmoveable portion 362 may be pressed against each other at first outerframe 371 and second outer frame 372, as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9.In some cases, first seal 381 and second seal 382 may join as firstouter frame 371 and second outer frame 372 are pressed against eachother together.

As first moveable portion 361 and second moveable portion 362 arepressed against each other, first deformable membrane 351 and seconddeformable membrane 352 may be pressed against article 100. In someembodiments, first deformable membrane 351 and second deformablemembrane 352 may press against portions of article 100 that do notcomprise a substantial entirety of article 100. In other embodiments,first deformable membrane 351 and second deformable membrane 352 maypress against portions of article 100 that comprise a substantialentirety of article 100.

In some embodiments, a deformable membrane may press against a portionof an article in a relatively loose manner. In other words, thedeformable membrane may not conform to a curved portion of an articlewhen the deformable membrane presses against the article. In anexemplary embodiment, first deformable membrane 351 and seconddeformable membrane 352 are pressed against portions of article 100 in arelatively loose manner, as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9.

A graphic transfer assembly may include provisions to assist adeformable membrane in conforming to a curved portion of an article. Insome embodiments, a deformable membrane may be tightened against aportion of an article to conform to a curved portion of the article. Insome cases, air between deformable membranes may be evacuated so thatthe deformable membranes conform to curved portions of an article.

In one embodiment, graphic transfer assembly 350 may include air valve340. Generally, air valve 340 may be associated with graphic transferassembly 350 in a manner known in the art that allows air valve 340 toevacuate air from between first deformable membrane 351 and seconddeformable membrane 352. In one embodiment, air valve 340 disposedbetween first moveable portion 361 and second moveable portion 362, asillustrated in FIGS. 7 and 9. Air valve 340 may also be attached to avacuum tank, not shown in these Figures. With this arrangement, airvalve 340 may evacuate air from a space between first deformablemembrane 351 and second deformable membrane 352 when first seal 381 andsecond seal 382 are joined.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, air is evacuated from a space betweenfirst deformable membrane 351 and second deformable membrane 352. Thisallows first deformable membrane 351 and second deformable membrane 352to conform to curved portions of article 100. In particular, firstdeformable membrane 351 conforms to curved portions of medial portion107 of article 100. In a similar manner, second deformable membrane 352conforms to curved portions of lateral portion 106 of article 100.

In order to apply a graphic to an article, heat may be used to attachthe graphic to the article. In some embodiments, heat may be applied byheating elements disposed adjacent to a deformable membrane. In otherembodiments, heat may be applied by heat radiated from a deformablemembrane. In some cases, heating wires may be embedded in a deformablemembrane. In other cases, a deformable membrane may comprise a heatconducting material to transfer heat to an article.

With first deformable membrane 351 and second deformable membrane 352conforming to curved portions of article 100, heat may be transferredthrough first deformable membrane 351 and second deformable membrane 352to apply graphic 110 to article 100. In an exemplary embodiment, heatingwires embedded in first deformable membrane 351 and second deformablemembrane 352 may be heated to apply graphic 110 to article 100.

Following heat transfer of graphic 110 to article 100, graphic 110 maybe applied to article 100. With graphic 110 applied to article 100,actuator 320 may be configured to open first moveable portion 361 andsecond moveable portion 362, as illustrated in FIG. 12. With firstmoveable portion 361 and second moveable portion 362 no longer pressingagainst article 100, article 100 may be removed from last 301, as seenin FIG. 6, and graphic transfer assembly 350.

Referring to FIG. 13, graphic 110 is applied to lateral portion 106 ofarticle 100. Although only one graphic is applied to article 100 in thisexemplary embodiment, it should be understood that additional graphicsmay be applied to article 100 at a substantially same time as graphic110 is applied to lateral portion 106. For example, a graphic associatedwith medial portion 107 of article 100 may be applied at substantiallythe same time as graphic 110. In other words, this method may be used toapply multiple graphics to portions of article 100 at a substantiallysame time.

Graphic transfer assembly 350 may be used to apply graphics to varioustypes of articles. In particular, first deformable membrane 351 andsecond deformable membrane 352 may be configured to conform to a varietyof curved portions associated with various types of articles. Forexample, FIGS. 11-13 illustrate an embodiment of a method of applying agraphic to an article with a low top upper.

Referring to FIG. 14, a graphic associated with article 1100 may beapplied to article 1100 by graphic transfer assembly 350. In oneembodiment, article 1100 may be a low top running shoe. In order toapply a graphic to article 1100, article 1100 may be associated withlast 1101. Last 1101 may be attached to graphic transfer assembly 350.With article 1100 disposed on graphic transfer assembly 350, firstmoveable portion 361 and second moveable portion 362 may be moved topress first deformable membrane 351 and second deformable membrane 352against article 100 in a substantially similar manner as the previousembodiment.

After first moveable portion 361 and second moveable portion 362 arejoined, air may be evacuated from a space between first deformablemembrane 351 and second deformable membrane 352. This allows firstdeformable membrane 351 and second deformable membrane 352 to conform tocurved portions of article 1100, as illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16. Withthis arrangement, heat may be transferred by first deformable membrane351 and second deformable membrane 352 to apply a graphic to article1100.

A graphic transfer assembly can include provisions for automaticallyopening and closing. For example, in some embodiments, a graphictransfer assembly can include automatically controlled actuators foropening and closing one or more moveable portions of the graphictransfer assembly.

FIGS. 17 and 18 illustrate another embodiment of a graphic transferassembly. Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18, graphic transfer assembly 1700includes base portion 1702. In some cases, graphic transfer assembly1700 can further include first moveable portion 1720 and second moveableportion 1722. Also, first moveable portion 1720 and second moveableportion 1722 may be further associated with first deformable membrane1732 and a second deformable membrane, which is not visible.

In some embodiments, first moveable portion 1720 may be attached to baseportion 1702 at first pivot attachment 1742. Likewise, second moveableportion 1722 may be attached to base portion 1702 at a similar pivotattachment that is disposed adjacent to first pivot attachment 1742.With this arrangement, first moveable portion 1720 and second moveableportion 1722 can be drawn apart to insert a last and/or an article andcan also be drawn together to apply a graphic to an article in themanner previously discussed.

In this embodiment, graphic transfer assembly 1700 further includesactuation system 1750. In particular, actuation system 1750 comprisesfirst actuator assembly 1752 and second actuator assembly 1754. In somecases, first actuator assembly 1752 includes first portion 1761, secondportion 1762 and third portion 1763. First portion 1761 may be connectedto first actuating device 1771. Additionally, second portion 1762 mayextend from first portion 1761 to first moveable portion 1720. Likewise,third portion 1763 may extend from second portion 1762 to secondmoveable portion 1722. In some cases, second portion 1762 and thirdportion 1763 may also pivot with respect to first portion 1761 at pivotjoint 1767. With this arrangement, as first portion 1761 is moved in avertical direction, second portion 1762 and third portion 1763 applyforces to first moveable portion 1720 and second moveable portion 1722.In particular, as first portion 1761 is moved in an upwards direction,second portion 1762 and third portion 1763 rotate away from one anotherand push first moveable portion 1720 and second moveable portion 1722apart, as seen in FIG. 17. Likewise, as first portion 1761 is pulled ina downwards direction, second portion 1762 and third portion 1763 rotatetowards each other and pull first moveable portion 1720 and secondmoveable portion 1722 together, as seen in FIG. 18.

In an exemplary embodiment, the movement of first portion 1761 iscontrolled by first actuating device 1771. In different embodiments,first actuating device 1771 can be any type of actuating device. In somecases, first actuating device 1771 can be a pneumatic actuator. Examplesof pneumatic actuating devices include, but are not limited to, rotaryactuators, tie rod actuators, grippers, rodless actuators withmechanical linkage, rodless actuators with magnetic linkage, as well asany other type of pneumatic actuator. In still other cases, firstactuating device 1771 could be another type of actuating device,including but not limited to electric actuators, motors, hydrauliccylinders, linear actuators or any other type of actuator.

In some embodiments, second actuator assembly 1754 may be configured tofacilitate opening and closing of first moveable portion 1720 and secondmoveable portion 1722 in a similar manner to first actuator assembly1752. Using two actuator assemblies on opposing ends of graphic transferassembly 1700 can facilitate the opening and closing of first moveableportion 1722 and second moveable portion 1724.

It should be further understood that although the current embodimentemploys an actuation system for opening and closing a graphic transferassembly, in other embodiments different types of systems could be used.For example, in one embodiment, a first moveable portion and a secondmoveable portion of a graphic transfer assembly could be manually openedand closed by lifting and lowering the moveable portions between an openand closed position. In another example, a motor could be attached toone or more pivot portions of the moveable portions to control themotion of the moveable portions.

In other embodiments, graphics may be applied to a set of differenttypes of articles by graphic transfer assembly 350. FIG. 19 illustratesan exemplary embodiment of set of articles 1400 that may be associatedwith graphics that may be applied by graphic transfer assembly 350. Inone embodiment, set of articles 1400 includes first article 1401, secondarticle 1402, third article 1403, fourth article 1404 and fifth article1405. Set of articles 1400 may include at least two different types ofarticles. For example, first article 1401 is a boot. Second article 1402is a basketball shoe. Likewise, third article 1403 is a running shoe. Inaddition, fourth article 1404 is a ballet slipper. Finally, fiftharticle 1405 is a sandal. With this configuration, set of articles 1400includes at least two different types of articles.

In some embodiments, articles of set of articles 1400 may comprisedifferent materials. Examples of different materials include, but arenot limited to: fabric, plastic, leather as well as other types ofmaterials suitable for articles. Graphic transfer assembly 350 may beconfigured to apply graphics to articles comprising different types ofmaterials. In particular, first deformable membrane 351 and seconddeformable membrane 352 may be configured to apply graphics to differenttypes of materials comprising articles.

In some embodiments, set of articles 1400 may be associated with a setof lasts. In one embodiment, set of lasts 1410 includes first last 1411,second last 1412, third last 1413, fourth last 1414 and fifth last 1415.Set of lasts 1410 may be associated with set of articles 1400 accordingto the size and shape of articles of set of articles 1400. For example,first last 1411 may be associated with first article 1401. Also, secondlast 1412 may be associated with second article 1402. Similarly, thirdlast 1413 may be associated with third article 1403. Likewise, fourthlast 1414 may be associated with fourth article 1404. Finally, fifthlast 1415 may be associated with fifth article 1405.

A graphic transfer assembly may include provisions to facilitate theapplication of graphics to different types of articles. In someembodiments, a graphic transfer assembly may include a last assembly tofacilitate the application of graphics to different types of articles.In some cases, the last assembly may include a fastener configured toattach a set of lasts to a graphic transfer assembly. Examples offasteners that may comprise a last assembly include, but are not limitedto: a bolt, screw or other type of fastener known in the art. With thisarrangement, a last assembly may provide interchangeability for agraphic transfer assembly by allowing different lasts associated withdifferent articles to be attached to the graphic transfer assembly.

In an exemplary embodiment, graphic transfer assembly 350 includes lastassembly 1440. Last assembly 1440 is configured to attach a last to baseportion 310 of graphic transfer assembly 350. In particular, lastassembly 1440 includes fastener 1441. In some cases, fastener 1441 maybe inserted within a portion of a last in order to attach the last tolast assembly 1440. With this arrangement, last assembly 1440 providesinterchangeability for graphic transfer assembly 350 by allowingdifferent lasts associated with different articles to be attached tographic transfer assembly 350.

In one embodiment, lasts of set of lasts 1410 are configured withfastener receiver holes 1450. Fastener receiver holes 1450 areconfigured to receive fastener 1441 of last assembly 1440. For example,first last 1411 includes first fastener receiver hole 1451. By insertingfastener 1441 into first fastener receiver hole 1451, first last 1411and associated first article 1401 may be associated with last assembly1440. After first article 1401 is associated with last assembly 1440, agraphic may be applied to first article 1401 in a substantially similarmanner as discussed with respect to FIGS. 4-9. In addition, it should beunderstood that the remaining articles of set of articles 1400 may beassociated with lasts of set of lasts 1410 and attached to last assembly1440 in a similar manner. With this configuration, graphic transferassembly 350 may transfer graphics to curved portions of articles of setof articles 1400.

FIG. 20 illustrates an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment ofgraphic transfer assembly 1550. Graphic transfer assembly 1550 includesdeformable membrane 1560. In one embodiment, deformable membrane 1560comprises a high temperature rubber. This configuration allowsdeformable membrane 1560 to conform to a portion of an article pressedagainst deformable membrane 1560.

A graphic transfer assembly may include provisions for using heatingelements to transfer a graphic to a curved portion of an article. Insome embodiments, heating elements may transfer heat to a deformablemembrane in order to apply a graphic to a curved portion of an article.In some cases, heating elements may be filled with oil, water or othersubstances to transfer heat to a deformable membrane. In one embodiment,oil heating elements may be used to apply heat to a deformable membraneand transfer a graphic to a curved portion of an article.

In an exemplary embodiment, graphic transfer assembly 1550 includesheating elements 1520. Heating elements 1520 are oil heating elements.In other embodiments, heating elements 1520 may be another type ofheating elements. Heating elements 1520 are configured to generate heatthat may be transferred to deformable membrane 1560. In some cases, aportion of heating elements 1520 may be covered by housing portion 1530of graphic transfer assembly 1550. This arrangement may help conserveheat generated by heating elements 1520.

As previously discussed, a graphic transfer assembly may includeprovisions to assist a deformable membrane in conforming to a curvedportion of an article. In an exemplary embodiment, graphic transferassembly 1550 includes chamber 1570. In some cases, chamber 1570 may bea diathermic oil plenum. In particular, chamber 1570 may be filled withan oil that provides heat conduction between a deformable membrane andone or more heating elements. Chamber 1570 may be disposed adjacent todeformable membrane 1560. In some cases, chamber 1570 may include cutout portion 1571. An outer periphery of deformable membrane 1560 may beattached to cut out portion 1571. With this arrangement, chamber 1570may provide pressure against deformable membrane 1560 to help deformablemembrane 1560 conform to a portion of an article.

In some embodiments, a provision that assists a deformable membrane inconforming to a curved portion of an article may also assist intransferring heat to the deformable membrane. For example, chamber 1570may facilitate efficient heat transfer from heating elements 1520 todeformable membrane 1560 to aid in the transferring of a graphic to anarticle. In one embodiment, this may be achieved by attaching chamber1570 to housing portion 1530. With heating elements 1520 disposedadjacent to chamber 1570, chamber 1570 may transfer heat from heatingelements 1520 to deformable membrane 1560. Using this configuration,graphic transfer assembly 1550 may transfer a graphic to a portion of anarticle.

In one embodiment, graphic transfer assembly 1550 may apply graphic 1510to article 1500. Graphic 1510 may be associated with lateral portion1507 of article 1500. Prior to application of graphic 1510 to lateralportion 1507, article 1500 may be associated with a last. Referring toFIGS. 21 and 22, article 1500 may be associated with last 1501. Inaddition, last 1501 may be attached to last assembly 1540. Inparticular, last 1501 may be attached to last assembly 1540 so thatlateral portion 1507 is disposed adjacent to deformable membrane 1560.

Graphic transfer assembly 1550 may press article 1500 against deformablemembrane 1560. As previously discussed, this may be achieved in variousmanners. In an exemplary embodiment, last assembly 1540 may move to pushlateral portion 1507 of article 1500 against deformable membrane 1560.With lateral portion 1507 pressed against deformable membrane 1560,deformable membrane 1560 conforms to curved portions of lateral portion1507, as illustrated in FIG. 22. Through the application of heat tographic 1510 and lateral portion 1507, graphic transfer assembly 1550may transfer graphic 1510 to lateral portion 1507 of article 1500.

In embodiments where multiple graphics may be applied to differentportions of an article, a graphic transfer assembly may be configured toapply graphics to different portions of the article in a substantiallysimultaneous manner. In some embodiments, a graphic transfer assemblymay be configured with one or more deformable membranes to applygraphics to different portions of an article. For example, in a previousembodiment, graphic transfer assembly 350 could apply graphics todifferent portions of an article. In other embodiments, a graphictransfer assembly may be configured with more than one graphic transferassembly to apply graphics to different portions of an article.

Referring to FIGS. 23 and 24, graphic transfer assembly 1950 includesfirst graphic transfer assembly 1951 and second graphic transferassembly 1952. In one embodiment, first graphic transfer assembly 1951and second graphic transfer assembly 1952 are configured in asubstantially similar manner. In some cases, first graphic transferassembly 1951 and second graphic transfer assembly 1952 may beconfigured in a substantially similar manner as graphic transferassembly 1550 of the previous embodiment.

In particular, first graphic transfer assembly 1951 includes firstdeformable membrane 1961. Furthermore, first graphic transfer assembly1951 includes first chamber 1971 disposed adjacent to and surroundingfirst deformable membrane 1961. In addition, first graphic transferassembly 1951 includes heating elements, not illustrated for purposes ofclarity.

In a similar manner, second graphic transfer assembly 1952 includessecond deformable membrane 1962. Also, second graphic transfer assembly1951 includes second chamber 1972 disposed adjacent to and surroundingsecond deformable membrane 1962. In addition, second graphic transferassembly 1952 includes heating elements, not illustrated for purposes ofclarity.

In an exemplary embodiment, graphic transfer assembly 1950 applies firstgraphic 1911 and second graphic 1912 to article 1900. In particular,first graphic transfer assembly 1951 may apply first graphic 1911 tolateral portion 1907 of article 1900. Likewise, second graphic transferassembly 1952 may apply second graphic 1912 to medial portion 1906 ofarticle 1900. Medial portion 1906 and lateral portion 1907 areconfigured with curved portions that conform to a contour of a footinserted within article 1900. With this arrangement, first graphic 1911and second graphic 1912 may be associated with curved portions ofarticle 1900.

Prior to the application of first graphic 1911 and second graphic 1912,last 1901 may be inserted within article 1900. Furthermore, last 1901may be attached to last assembly 1940. With this arrangement, article1900 may be disposed between first graphic transfer assembly 1951 andsecond graphic transfer assembly 1952. In particular, first graphictransfer assembly 1951 may be disposed adjacent to lateral portion 1907of article 1900. Likewise, second graphic transfer assembly 1952 may bedisposed adjacent to medial portion 1906 of article 1900.

Referring to FIG. 23, first graphic transfer assembly 1951 and secondgraphic transfer assembly 1952 may be pressed against lateral portion1907 and medial portion 1906, respectively, of article 1900. By pressingfirst graphic transfer assembly 1951 and second graphic transferassembly 1952 against article 1900, first deformable membrane 1961 andsecond deformable membrane 1962 may be pressed against article 1900.With this arrangement, first deformable membrane 1961 may conform tolateral portion 1907, as illustrated in FIG. 24. Similarly, seconddeformable membrane 1962 may conform to medial portion 1906.Furthermore, first deformable membrane 1961 and second deformablemembrane 1962 may conform to a substantial entirety of article 1900.Using this configuration, graphic transfer assembly 1950 may transferfirst graphic 1911 and second graphic 1912 to curved portions of article1900 in a substantially simultaneous manner.

In embodiments where a vacuum may not be used with a graphic transferassembly, the graphic transfer assembly may include additionalprovisions to conform a deformable membrane to curved portions of anarticle. In some embodiments, the graphic transfer assembly may be usedwith a pressure sensitive medium that conforms to the curvature of thearticle and helps a deformable membrane conform to the contours of thearticle. In one exemplary embodiment, a deformable membrane may bedisposed between an outer portion of a graphic transfer assembly and aninner portion of the graphic transfer assembly that are configured toconform to the surface of an article when the graphic transfer assemblyapplies one or more graphics to the article.

FIG. 25 illustrates an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment ofgraphic transfer assembly 2050. In an exemplary embodiment, graphictransfer assembly 2050 includes deformable membrane 2060. In addition,graphic transfer assembly includes outer portion 2051. Outer portion2051 may be disposed between deformable membrane 2060 and an articlewhen a graphic is applied to the article.

Outer portion 2051 may be configured with various sizes and shapes,including, but not limited to: square shapes, rectangular shapes,elliptical shapes, triangular shapes, regular shapes, irregular shapesas well as other types of shapes. In some embodiments, outer portion2051 may be configured with a substantially similar size and shape asdeformable membrane 2060. In one embodiment, outer portion 2051 anddeformable membrane 2060 may comprise rectangular shapes.

In some embodiments, a graphic transfer assembly may include provisionsto improve heat transfer to a portion of an article. For example, inembodiments where a deformable membrane applies heat to a portion of anarticle, an insulating portion may be disposed adjacent to thedeformable membrane in order to improve heat transfer to a portion of anarticle. In one embodiment, graphic transfer assembly 2050 includesinsulating portion 2052. In some cases, insulating portion 2052 may bedisposed adjacent to deformable membrane 2060. With this arrangement,insulating portion 2052 may improve the efficiency of heat transfer toan article.

Generally, insulating portion 2052 may be configured with any size andshape. Examples of shapes include, but are not limited to: squareshapes, rectangular shapes, elliptical shapes, triangular shapes,regular shapes, irregular shapes as well as other types of shapes. Insome cases, insulating portion 2052 may be configured with substantiallysimilar size and shape as deformable membrane 2060. In an exemplaryembodiment, insulating portion 2052 may be configured with a rectangularshape.

In some embodiments, graphic transfer assembly 2050 may includeadditional provisions to assist a deformable membrane in conforming to acurved portion of an article. In some cases, graphic transfer assembly2050 may include inner portion 2053. Inner portion 2053 may provideadditional pressure against deformable membrane 2060 when an article ispressed against outer portion 2051 and deformable membrane 2060. Withthis arrangement, inner portion 2053 may assist deformable membrane 2060in conforming to a curved portion of an article.

In different embodiments, outer portion 2051 and inner portion 2053 maycomprise various suitable materials. In some cases, materials suitablefor outer portion 2051 and inner portion 2053 may have high temperaturestability and thermo conductivity so that outer portion 2051 maytransfer heat to apply a graphic to an article. Furthermore, outerportion 2051 and inner portion 2053 may also be constructed of aresilient material that may conform to a curved portion of an article.Examples of suitable materials for outer portion 2051 and inner portion2053 include, but are not limited to: silicone, plastics, other polymersas well as other materials known in the art. In one embodiment, outerportion 2051 may be constructed of duro silicone. In addition, thirdportion 2053 may be constructed of silicone.

Generally, various materials may be used for insulating portion 2052.Examples of suitable materials include, but are not limited to:synthetic polymers, cotton, other natural plant materials, wool, otheranimal fibers, fiber-glass, other mineral wools as well as othermaterials. In an exemplary embodiment, insulating portion 2052 maycomprise a synthetic polymer.

In different embodiments, graphic transfer assembly 2050 may becontrolled in various manners. In some embodiments, an article may bepressed against outer portion 2051 to apply a graphic to the article. Inother embodiments, graphic transfer assembly 2050 may include anactuator that may push portions of graphic transfer assembly 2050against an article to apply a graphic to the article.

In an exemplary embodiment, graphic transfer assembly 2050 includesactuator 2020. Actuator 2020 may be disposed adjacent to inner portion2053. Actuator 2020 may be configured to push inner portion 2053,insulating portion 2052, deformable membrane 2060 and outer portion 2051against an article to apply a graphic to the article.

FIGS. 26 and 27 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of graphic transferassembly 2050 applying graphic 2110 to lateral portion 2106 of article2100. Lateral portion 2106 includes curved portions configured to followa contour of a medial portion of a foot disposed within lateral portion2106. In other words, graphic 2110 may be associated with a curvedportion of article 2100.

In one embodiment, article 2100 may be associated with a last.Furthermore, article 2100 and associated last may be attached to lastassembly 2040. In particular, article 2100 may be attached to lastassembly 2040 so that lateral portion 2106 is disposed adjacent to outerportion 2051.

Following the association of article 2100 with last assembly 2040,actuator 2020 may push inner portion 2053, insulating portion 2052,deformable membrane 2060 and outer portion 2051 against lateral portion2106 of article 2100. This configuration allows inner portion 2053,insulating portion 2052, deformable membrane 2060 and outer portion 2051to conform to lateral portion 2106 of article 2100. By conforming tolateral portion 2106, outer portion 2051 may transfer heat fromdeformable membrane 2060 to apply graphic 2110 to article 2100.

After graphic 2110 is applied to article 2100, actuator 2020 may pullinner portion 2053, insulating portion 2052, deformable membrane 2060and outer portion 2051 away from article 2100. Article 2100 may beremoved from the last. With this arrangement, graphic transfer assembly2050 may apply graphic 2110 to article 2100.

In some cases, indentation 2109 may be evident in outer portion 2051following the removal of article 2100 from outer portion 2051.Indentation 2109 in outer portion 2051 may indicate the conformation ofouter portion 2051 as well as other portions of graphic transferassembly 2050 to article 2100. Indentation 2109 may remain for a timefollowing the removal of article 2100.

As previously discussed, a graphic transfer assembly may be configuredwith more than one graphic transfer assembly to apply graphics todifferent portions of an article in a substantially simultaneous manner.Referring to FIGS. 28 and 29, graphic transfer assembly 2150 includesfirst graphic transfer assembly 2151 and second graphic transferassembly 2152.

In an exemplary embodiment, first graphic transfer assembly 2151 andsecond graphic transfer assembly 2152 are configured in a substantiallysimilar manner. In some cases, first graphic transfer assembly 2151 andsecond graphic transfer assembly 2152 may be configured in asubstantially similar manner as graphic transfer assembly 2050 of theprevious embodiment. For example, first graphic transfer assembly 2151includes first outer portion 2161 disposed adjacent to first deformablemembrane 2181. Also, first graphic transfer assembly 2151 includes firstinsulating portion 2191 disposed adjacent to first deformable membrane2181. Additionally, first graphic transfer assembly 2151 includes firstinner portion 2192 disposed between first insulating portion 2191 andfirst actuator 2121.

In a similar manner, second graphic transfer assembly 2152 includessecond outer portion 2162 disposed between second deformable membrane2182 and an article. In addition, second graphic transfer assembly 2152includes second insulating portion 2193 disposed adjacent to seconddeformable membrane 2182. Also, second graphic transfer assembly 2152includes second inner portion 2194 disposed between second insulatingportion 2193 and second actuator 2122.

In an exemplary embodiment, graphic transfer assembly 2150 applies firstgraphic 2216 and second graphic 2217 to article 2200. In particular,first graphic transfer assembly 2151 may apply first graphic 2216 tomedial portion 2206 of article 2200. In addition, second graphictransfer assembly 2152 may apply second graphic 2217 to lateral portion2207 of article 2200.

Before applying first graphic 2216 and second graphic 2217, a last maybe inserted within article 2200. Furthermore, the last may be attachedto last assembly 2340. With this arrangement, article 2200 may bedisposed between first graphic transfer assembly 2151 and second graphictransfer assembly 2152. In particular, first graphic transfer assembly2151 may be disposed adjacent to medial portion 2206. Likewise, secondgraphic transfer assembly 2152 may be disposed adjacent to lateralportion 2207.

Referring to FIG. 28, first actuator 2121 may press first inner portion2192, first insulating portion 2191, first deformable membrane 2181 andfirst outer portion 2161 against medial portion 2206 of article 2200.Similarly, second actuator 2122 may press second inner portion 2194,second insulating portion 2193, second deformable membrane 2182 andsecond outer portion 2162 against lateral portion 2207 of article 2200.With this arrangement, first inner portion 2192, first insulatingportion 2191, first deformable membrane 2181 and first outer portion2161 may conform to medial portion 2206, as illustrated in FIG. 29.Similarly, second inner portion 2194, second insulating portion 2193,second deformable membrane 2182 and second outer portion 2162 mayconform to lateral portion 2207. Using this configuration, graphictransfer assembly 2150 may transfer first graphic 2216 and secondgraphic 2217 to article 2200.

In different embodiments, any layer of graphic transfer assembly 2150can be used to provide heat to one or more graphics. In some cases,first outer portion 2161 and second outer portion 2162 can be heateddirectly by a thermal source. In other cases, first deformable membrane2181 and second deformable membrane 2182 can be heated directly by athermal source. In still other cases, first insulating portion 2191 andsecond insulating portion 2192 can be heated directly by a thermalsource. In still other embodiments, other portions of graphic transferassembly 2150 can be heated. In an exemplary embodiment, first outerportion 2161 and second outer portion 2162 may be heated layers.Furthermore, these layers can be heated using any known method in theart. For example, in some cases, the layers can be heated using wires orother conductors configured to produce heat. These heated wires can bedisposed on the surface of a layer, or embedded within a layer.

With this method, a graphic transfer assembly may apply graphics tocurved portions of various articles. In particular, a last assemblyprovides interchangeability by allowing various types of articles to beattached to the graphic transfer assembly. In addition, a deformablemembrane associated with the graphic transfer assembly may be adapted toconform to curved portions of various articles. With this configuration,graphics may be applied to articles without a molding process. Thisallows graphics to be applied to post-production articles.

A graphic transfer assembly can include provisions for protecting a soleor tooling of an article of footwear. In some cases, heating during thetransfer process can contribute to degradation or deformation of a soleof an article. In an exemplary embodiment, a protective member can beused to cover the sole to prevent unwanted heating of the sole.

Referring to FIGS. 30, article 2700 includes upper 2702 and sole 2704.At this point, first graphic 2710 and second graphic 2712 (see FIG. 31)may be associated with upper 2702. Prior to associating article 2700with a graphic transfer assembly, sole 2704 may be covered usingprotective member 2720. In one embodiment, protective member 2720 can beshaped to receive sole 2704. Furthermore, protective member 2720 can bemade of a material that has low thermal conductivity.

Referring to FIG. 31, article 2700 may be exposed to graphic transferassembly 2750 to transfer first graphic 2710 and second graphic 2712 toone or more curved portions of article 2700. In some cases, graphictransfer assembly 2750 may be substantially similar to graphic assembly2150 of the previous embodiment. At this point, one or more of pluralityof layers 2760 of graphic transfer assembly 2750 may conform to theshape of article 2700. Furthermore, one or more of plurality of layers2760 may be heated to facilitate transfer of first graphic 2710 andsecond graphic 2712. By using protective member 2720, sole 2704 may beprotected from the heat generated by graphic transfer assembly 2750during the transfer process.

A graphic transfer assembly can include provisions to facilitate easy ofuse for a graphic transfer process. FIGS. 32 through 35 illustrateanother embodiment of a graphic transfer assembly. Referring to FIG. 32,article 2500 includes graphic 2510 disposed on lateral portion 2506. Insome cases a graphic transfer assembly for article 2500 can include baseportion 2520. In one embodiment, base portion 2520 may be a table orcounter.

Base portion 2520 may include provisions for receiving article 2500. Insome cases, base portion 2520 may include cavity 2530. In differentembodiments, cavity 2530 can have any shape. In this exemplaryembodiment, cavity 2530 can be shaped to receive medial portion 2504 ofarticle 2500.

Referring to FIG. 33, medial portion 2504 of article 2500 has beeninserted into cavity 2530. This arrangement exposes lateral portion2506, including graphic 2510, in a generally upwards direction.

Graphic transfer assembly 2500 may further include moving portion 2550.In some cases, moving portion 2550 may include several layers. In oneembodiment, moving portion 2550 may comprise outer layer 2552, innerlayer 2554 and intermediate layer 2556. Furthermore, moving portion 2550can include rigid layer 2558. Finally, in some cases, moving portion2550 can include actuating member 2560. In some cases, actuating member2560 may be a rod. In other cases, actuating member 2560 can be anystructure configured to facilitate movement for moving portion 2550.

In some embodiments, outer layer 2552 can be configured to conform tocurved portion 2570 of article 2500. In some cases, outer layer 2552 canbe made of a material including a soft silicone. In other cases, outerlayer 2552 can be made of another relatively soft material that iscapable of deforming to curved portion 2570 of article 2500.Additionally, inner layer 2554 can be made of a partially deformingmaterial. In some cases, inner layer 2554 can be made of a materialincluding silicone. In still other embodiments, inner layer 2554 can bemade of another deforming material.

In some embodiments, intermediate layer 2556 can be made of a deformablemembrane. In particular, intermediate layer 2556 can be made of amaterial such as rubber. In other cases, intermediate layer 2556 can beany other type of deformable membrane that has been previously discussedor which is known in the art.

As previously discussed, any layer of moving portion 2550 can includeheating provisions. In some cases, outer layer 2552 can be a heatinglayer. In other cases, inner layer 2554 can be a heating layer. In stillother cases, intermediate layer 2556 can be a heating layer. In stillother cases, more than one of these layers can be a heating layer.

Referring to FIGS. 34-35, moving portion 2550 can be pressed againstbase portion 2520, using actuating member 2560. As moving portion 2550is pressed against base portion 2520, moving portion 2550 may applypressure to curved portion 2530 of article 2500. In particular, outerlayer 2552, inner layer 2554 and intermediate layer 2556 may deformagainst the contours of curved portion 2530. This arrangement allowsgraphic 2510 to be applied to curved portion 2530. In particular, as oneor more layers of moving portion 2550 are heated, graphic 2510 will betransferred to curved portion 2530 in the manner previously discussed.

In some cases, the embodiment discussed here can be easily adapted to alarge scale manufacturing process. In particular, articles of footwearincluding an associated graphic can quickly be inserted into pre-formedcavities of a table, counter, or other working surface. Furthermore,using a press-type arrangement allows for quick and easy application ofdeformable layers to a curved portion of the article of footwear.

While various embodiments have been described, the description isintended to be exemplary, rather than limiting and it will be apparentto those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments andimplementations are possible that are within the scope of theembodiments. Accordingly, the embodiments are not to be restrictedexcept in light of the attached claims and their equivalents. Also,various modifications and changes may be made within the scope of theattached claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of customizing an article with a graphicapplied using a graphic transfer assembly, comprising the steps of:receiving a selected graphic for the article; associating the graphicwith a curved surface of the article; attaching a last including thearticle to a last assembly of the graphic transfer assembly, the lastassembly being disposed between a first moveable portion of the graphictransfer assembly and a second moveable portion of the graphic transferassembly; pressing a first deformable membrane associated with the firstmoveable portion and a second deformable membrane associated with thesecond moveable portion against a portion of the article so that atleast one of the first deformable membrane and the second deformablemembrane conforms to the curved surface; applying a vacuum between thefirst deformable membrane and the second deformable membrane; heating atleast one of the first deformable membrane and the second deformablemembrane; and thereby transferring the graphic to the curved surface ofthe article.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the graphic isassociated with the curved surface using an adhesive.
 3. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the graphic is associated with the curvedsurface of the article prior to a step of placing the article on thelast.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of receivingthe selected graphic for the article further includes the step ofreceiving a customized graphic from a customer.
 5. The method accordingto claim 4, wherein the step of receiving the customized graphicincludes receiving the graphic from a website.
 6. The method accordingto claim 4, wherein the step of receiving the customized graphicincludes receiving the graphic through at least one of mail or email. 7.The method according to claim 4, wherein the step of receiving thecustomized graphic includes receiving the graphic at a retail store or akiosk.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the graphic includesone or more of a shape, a number, a letter, and an image.
 9. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the graphic is configured to provide acolor to a substantial entirety of a portion of the article on which thegraphic is applied.
 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein thegraphic comprises a colored film.
 11. The method according to claim 1,wherein the graphic comprises at least two distinct film portions. 12.The method according to claim 11, wherein at least one of the filmportions includes one or more of a shape, a number, a letter, and animage.
 13. The method according to claim 11, wherein at least one of thefilm portions includes an ink or dye for coloring the article.
 14. Themethod according to claim 11, wherein a first film portion includes agraphical design portion and wherein a second film portion includes anink or dye for coloring the article.
 15. The method according to claim1, further comprising transferring a plurality of graphics to thearticle using the graphic transfer assembly.
 16. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the graphic is used to apply at least one of a color ora design to an entirety of the article.
 17. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the step of receiving a selected graphic for thearticle further comprises receiving a customized graphic created using agraphic customization process.
 18. The method according to claim 1,wherein the article comprises an article of footwear.
 19. The methodaccording to claim 18, wherein the graphic is applied to at least aportion of one or more of an upper or a sole of the article of footwear.20. A method of customizing an article of footwear with a graphicapplied using a graphic transfer assembly, comprising the steps of:receiving a customized graphic for the article of footwear from acustomer; associating the graphic with a curved surface of the articleof footwear; pressing at least one deformable membrane associated withthe graphic transfer assembly against a portion of the article offootwear so that the at least one deformable membrane conforms to thecurved surface of the article of footwear; heating the at least onedeformable membrane; and thereby transferring the graphic to the curvedsurface of the article of footwear.